Creative Force

“I am happy, extremely happy, incredibly happy… (the collection) is me, my world . At the same time, it is something that goes beyond my own history and projection into the future.” Jean Paul Gaultier is emotionally seated in the large living room of his Parisian atelier , located on Rue Saint-Martin.

Following his final catwalk bow at his Spring 2020 Haute Couture show, the designer retired from marathon, decades-long designing collections and decided to relegate the work to other designers, starting with Sacai's Chitose Abe. Gaultier recently handed over the reins to Glenn Martens, Creative Director of Y/Project and Diesel, who was responsible for designing the Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture collection.

"I feel like I've had a face lift," jokes Gaultier. “I fell in love with this collection, with the way it interpreted my universe. The modern approach to the techniques and savoir-faire of haute couture; the result is beyond anything I could have imagined,” he says. Martens – who in 2008 and after finishing art school got his first job in Gaultier's atelier – presented 36 looks , maintaining the essence of Gaultier: sailor stripes, corsets and voluptuous evening dresses, but with his own deconstructed touch. de Martens for which it has become known in Y/Project. "I wanted it to be a party," he says. “To pay tribute to the Maison's creative heritage”.

“Haute couture has always been more than an abstract dream for me. More than anything else, it is a laboratory. The power to invent contemporary forms and create garments that are capable of dialoguing with reality. Imagine creations that can dress clients that really exist. Inventing the future through incredible techniques and craftsmanship”, reflects Gaultier. “A dress, even if it makes you dream, must also be able to be worn. Fashion must be in contact with life and reality. My job as a designer has always been to feel and perceive what is happening in the real world.”

This landing in reality is what unites both designers. Martens (38), considers her day-to-day living in Paris to be her greatest inspiration: “What inspires me the most are my friends and the people I see on the street; go out and watch the kids get dressed,” she says. "I'm always obsessively watching people."

L'Officiel spoke exclusively with Glen Martens about what it has been like to design for Gaultier and his new adventure at Diesel.

L'Officiel: Between Y/Project, Diesel and designing the Haute Couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, how do you manage to manage it all?

GlennMartens: Without much thought, because if you think about it, you start to go crazy. It was a very intense season, I don't know how these other two designers managed to have so many brands and collections. The issue is that I come from a very strict family. My maternal grandparents were the third generation belonging to the Army. At the same time, many times I had a very structured flamenco way of working, so I can be quite intense. That's how I survived this season. There wasn't much time for personal life, but it's okay. I feel very fortunate to be able to work on these three projects.

 L'O: Where did your interest in fashion come from?

GM: I grew up in a small, provincial town (Bruges, Belgium). In the tourist guides they refer to the city of Bruges as 'Sleeping Beauty', and it really is. My environment was not very avant-garde or experimental. However, the city itself was beautiful. Bruges is a little historical pearl that definitely influenced my obsession with history as a child. I used to read about kings and queens and all the murders and wars like they were a fairy tale. I also loved to draw, in fact, a large part of my focus was precisely on the clothes that these historical figures wore. I think that was when I started to be aware that clothes can reflect personality and personify someone.

L'O: Ladies and gentlemen were your first models, but what was your first memory of fashion?

GM: All the women's magazines my mom used to buy. The heyday of the 90s couturiers like Gaultier or Thierry Mugler who made those extravagant collections of theatrical haute couture. In the eyes of a child, that was a party.

L'O: And your first job, right after you graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, was at Jean Paul Gaultier.

GM: Yes, I was very lucky, because it was an independent fashion house. As you know, fashion is not easy, especially when you are just starting out. They are long days of work, it is very repetitive and it can even be a bit abusive. But Jean Paul didn't work that way. He was more into the idea of teamwork, celebrating fashion and having fun.

L'O: Where do you get your inspiration from?

GM: My training as an interior architect has greatly influenced my way of thinking about clothing, I am always challenging myself in terms of construction and thinking how can we make garments in a different way? And after that, my reality appears. I love living in Paris. I like the fact that it brings cultures together and that you can get on the subway or walk. I practically never get into a taxi or an Uber, I like to be on the street.

L'O: What has been your approach when designing Haute Couture for Jean Paul Gaultier?

GM: The inspiration was definitely to celebrate the handmade and Gaultier himself. Designing a collection is very different from taking over a fashion house, so I try to have as much fun as possible. I did not reinvent the Gaultier woman, but I have my own way of seeing it.

L'O: What do you most admire about Gaultier?

GM: He is one of the first true inventors. He was a mentor to so many people and I think he also opened the doors to a great generation of designers. What he really did was turn urban culture into luxury, I think he was one of the first designers to work with urban casting . When I went out to a nightclub, I used to talk to the same people in the club and say “you should be in my parade”.

L'O: When we talked to Gaultier during the show, he commented that his dream was to continue to be free. What is your dream?

GM: Sure the freedom would be nice, but when you have responsibility for thousands of families that depend on the success of your brand, you can't blindly dream and be free. However, I believe that you can meet the needs of the market while still having fun and being light-hearted, avoiding becoming a trading monster. That is where I am happy.

L'O: How do you also approach designing collections for Y/Project and Diesel?

GM: They have different ways of working. At Y/Project I speak to a very specific client, since the garments are not to be used on a day-to-day basis. Normally, one can be used in many different ways, so its owner questions how to wear it and how he wants to be perceived. I speak more to a client looking to experience and celebrate their individuality. In the case of Diesel it is different, because it is much more social. They are garments that people use on a daily basis: we ride a bike in them, we go to work in them, we also wash the dishes. In addition to that, they have affordable prices, so I reach more people.

L'O: What do you find rewarding about designing en masse?

GM: There's a lot of responsibility that comes with that, because I get into homes that I wouldn't normally be able to touch with Y/Project or Jean Paul Gaultier. Given the above, I believe it is my responsibility to engage the customer with Diesel's message of sustainability, which is central to everything I do.

L'O: What do you consider to have been your greatest achievement?

GM: I think Diesel Library , which is a library of garments that we create solely from sustainable denim. That was really big; managed to rethink the entire production process for Diesel staples, a massive global brand. 40% of the sales they make are from sustainable products. I have been a freelance designer for many years and am extremely happy to be able to express myself artistically at Y/Project, but to a certain extent; there is more than that. At one point I found myself wondering if I was going to be happy designing cute, conceptual dresses my whole life or if I wanted to do something else. That's when Diesel arrived. Now I have the possibility of being able to generate changes.

L'O: What do you see in your future?

GM: That's a good question. A friend asked me the exact same thing two days ago. He said, "What's your next step?" and I was like, "I have no idea." I still have a lot of work to do. Diesel is a massive project. These types of companies are like the Titanic: you can turn around in a second. It takes time before things start to change. Y/Project has also been growing tremendously in the last two years and I just want to make sure it continues to do so so that my teams are happy, experimenting and having fun.